Authorities shutdown enters fourth week with no clear finish in sight

“I know that I know nothing” – Socrates

“You don’t know nothing” – Baseball Legend Yogi Berra

Socrates could have been claiming ignorance, Berra was speaking about baseball, however each could as effectively have been speaking concerning the authorities shutdown.

So when will it finish?

“You shouldn’t ask me because I’m the guy who said it’ll only last five days,” Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Ariz., mentioned on Fox. “But I will tell you, a couple of Democrat senators recently indicated that they think this is going to go ‘til at least the first of November.”

However, Biggs added that he doesn’t “see an end in sight.”

GOVERNMENT ENTERS LONGEST FULL SHUTDOWN IN US HISTORY WITH NO END IN SIGHT

The authorities shutdown is now getting into its fourth week. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)

Whether you might be Socrates or Yogi Berra, we don’t know “nothing.” Which technically implies that we do know one thing.

However, I do know correct grammar.

The one factor that I do know on this case is that I don’t know something about ending the federal government shutdown.

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Regardless… Is it even attainable to recreation out when the federal government shutdown could finish?

Congressional Republicans believed that Democrats would fold after a matter of days as soon as funding lapsed within the wee hours of Oct. 1. Then Republicans argued that Democrats would cry “uncle” as soon as federal staff missed their first paycheck final week. Later, the GOP instructed Democrats would preserve the federal government shuttered via the “No Kings” rallies across the nation final weekend.

The GOP argued that Democrats wanted to indicate their base that they had been “fighting” in opposition to President Donald Trump.

“Now that they had their protests, I just pray that they come to their senses and re-open the government this week,” mentioned House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La.

Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Ariz., says he does not “see an end in sight.”  (Getty Images)

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., accused Republicans of frequently altering their causes for why Democrats are blocking the GOP invoice to fund the federal government.

“In a few days, it will be about something else,” Jeffries mentioned.

So, we enter the ice age of Congressional inactivity as the federal government shutdown enters its fourth week.

Who might have predicted it?

Then once more, who might have predicted thieves might make off with tens of millions of {dollars} of knickknack contained in the Louvre in an historic heist? At least the bandits stole our consideration away from the federal government shutdown for a bit.

SHUTDOWN STANDSTILL: NO HEADWAY UNTIL THERE’S ‘INCENTIVE,’ POLITICOS LAMENT

That mentioned, everybody is aware of (even when they received’t say it publicly) who will possible finish the federal government shutdown: Trump.

He’s not simply the president. Trump has a sway over Republicans in Congress that Ronald Reagan might solely envy. So till he joins the fray, the federal government will stay closed.

“Donald Trump definitively needs to get involved. He needs to get off the sidelines. Get off the golf course and actually decide to end the shutdown that he’s created and that he has allowed to happen,” Jeffries mentioned.

“Donald Trump, instead of leaving the country before he leaves the country, should sit down and negotiate with us so we can address this horrible crisis,” mentioned Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y. “The president should meet with us. It’s not me, him or anything political. It’s that the people are in crisis every day.”

President Trump met with Republican lawmakers this week. (Alex Wong/Getty Images)

The president did meet with lawmakers this week, holding courtroom with Senate Republicans for lunch within the renovated Rose Garden.

“Did you notice the white marble floor?” quipped the president.

But Democrats contend that Trump huddled with the incorrect get together. Schumer characterised it as “a Rose Garden pep rally.”

Trump implored Democrats to bend – and vote for the GOP spending invoice.

“They’re getting killed in the polls,” he mentioned.

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“Shouldn’t the president get involved in negotiations at this stage to end this?” yours actually requested Johnson.

“We’re not going [to] pay a ransom to reopen the federal government,” replied the speaker.

“Isn’t the only key to end this shutdown to just have a sit-down negotiation with both sides?” I countered.

“Republicans have nothing to offer to Democrats,” replied Johnson.

House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., in the meantime, contends that “Republicans have nothing to offer Democrats.” (J. Scott Applewhite/AP Photo)

In reality, some Republicans argued that Trump shouldn’t even negotiate.

“If I’ve learned anything about President Trump, it’s his timing. I think that he feels like the timing is not right now. We’re winning the messaging war,” mentioned Sen. Roger Marshall, R-Kan. “So there’ll be a time. But the time is not ripe yet.”

It’s unclear when that point could come, contemplating that the federal government has remained shuttered for greater than three weeks.

And two weeks in the past, Republicans torched Schumer for declaring issues received “better” for Democrats the longer the shutdown dragged on, however shutdown fatigue is now setting in on Capitol Hill.

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“Welcome to day 22 of the Democrats’ shutdown,” Johnson declared on the now sonorous each day press briefings delivered by each side.

“This does suck,” mentioned Sen. Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz., on Fox Business concerning the shutdown.

Lawmakers are actually searching for shutdown daylight.

“The hope is that we get this shutdown resolved before the end of the month,” Jeffries mentioned.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., expresses hope that the shutdown will probably be resolved by the top of the month. (Kevin Lamarque/Reuters)

There’s fear about how the shutdown may affect nationwide parks.

“(Here are) the more negative consequences that we’ll start to see without regular staffing. Litter will pile up and park ecosystems will be affected,” mentioned House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Bruce Westerman, R-Ark.

Both events are satisfied they’re prevailing within the shutdown.

“What I did hear on our telephone town hall repeatedly (is) ‘Don’t you guys give into these hostage takers,’” mentioned Rep. Mike Simpson, R-Idaho. “I heard that repeatedly.”

“It’s resonating with Americans. What I’m hearing from people in Connecticut is ‘hang tough,’” mentioned Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn.

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The Senate holds a check vote Thursday on a invoice to pay important staff who’re on the job and not using a paycheck, however Democrats are skeptical.

“I’d be in favor of paying the federal workers,” mentioned Sen. Peter Welch, D-Vt. “That bill, unfortunately, gives a lot of latitude to the president to pick and choose, or, I should say, (White House Budget Director) Russell Vought to pick and choose (who gets paid).”

So whereas shutdown weariness units in, nobody is aware of when it would finish.

It is claimed that realizing what you don’t know truly constitutes true information.

And if nobody is aware of the top of the shutdown, that should imply that everybody is fairly sensible.